RORC CARIBBEAN 600

NEWS AND SPECIALS

Back to RORC Caribbean 600

LEOPARD SHARPENS ITS CLAWS
Monday 18th February 2013

Just 48 hours before a record breaking fleet sets sail for the 5th RORC Caribbean 600, weather forecasts are unanimously predicting sensational conditions, ideal for record-breaking pace, and there is every possibility that this will be the fastest RORC Caribbean 600 on record.

ICAp Leopard in Training Richard Langdon/Ocean Images
ICAP Leopard in training: Credit: Richard Langdon http://www.oceanimages.co.uk/  
 
 
20 knots or more of warm trade winds are anticipated for the start, with the wind and the Caribbean swell building during the course of the race, perhaps piping up to 30 knots on day two.
 
Mike Slade's canting keel Maxi, ICAP Leopard, is the out-and-out favourite to scorch around the 600-mile course to take the first gun. Navigator Hugh Agnew has been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast for several days. In the meantime, the shore crew have been hard at work, meticulously preparing the boat for the wild ride to come.
 
"At the moment, the forecasts seem to be quite stable," commented Agnew. "We can expect 20-26 knots of easterly wind, maybe slightly to the south of due east for the duration of our race. The longest leg of the course is from St.Barths to Guadeloupe and with this wind direction, coupled with the apparent wind created by Leopard, it will be forward of the beam, so we will be unlikely to fly a spinnaker. This will slow us down, but the other side of the coin is that this wind direction may be beneficial on a crucial part of the course - the south side of Guadeloupe. If we get a one-sided beat, requiring few tacks, this could really work in our favour. It is a long beat between Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante and in my view the race for a record could be won or lost there."
 
Leopard held the RORC Caribbean 600 course record for two years, however George David's Rambler 100 eclipsed that in 2011, setting a benchmark of 40 hours 20 minutes and 2 seconds.
 
Dockside in Antigua, Leopard's skipper Chris Sherlock was keeping his cards close to his chest but he admitted that there was a possibility of winning back the record. Something Leopard's owner, Mike Slade, has set his heart on.
 
"Our routing software is showing 40 hours at the moment, so there is not much fat on it, but we have a chance," hinted Sherlock. "There are three things that will stop us from breaking the record. Firstly if we go the wrong way and get out of big breeze, the other factors are maintaining the yacht and boat handling; just one bad furl on a sail can cost us 15 minutes and breakages can put and end to it totally."
 
"In my opinion, our time could be half an hour either side of the record, we will just have to see how it pans out. Record or no record this looks like it will be a fantastic race with awesome conditions. Every time we do this '600, we learn more. Even when we are out on charter, we often sneak a look at a part of the race track, we have a lot of knowledge of what goes on behind those islands. Leopard is in great shape, we have a very capable crew and it would top off a great season if we got our record back."
 
The RORC Caribbean 600 programme starts in earnest today with the Skippers' Briefing followed by the official opening party. It will be standing room only for invited guests, jam-packed shoreside at Antigua Yacht Club. Owners and their crew are set to enjoy a Caribbean drinks party and canapés accompanied by a traditional steel band. RORC Commodore, Mike Greville, competing in the race for the second time with CM60, Venomous, will open the proceedings.
 
The 5th RORC Caribbean 600 will start at 1100 local time (1500 GMT) on Monday 18th February.
 
Follow the race web site http://caribbean600.rorc.org.

Click here for all News and Specials for RORC Caribbean 600

 
connect with antiguanice.com
FacebookTwitterYoutubeNewsletterRSS

contact
TEL: +1 (268) 460-1799
UK TEL: +44 207 493 2248
FIND US ON: Facebook
WEBSITE: Click here

news and specials

2025 RORC CARIBBEAN 600: A BATTLE OF LEGENDS AND RISING STARS

Tuesday 11th February 2025
Starting on the 24th of February, the 16th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 has attracted close to ...
Read More

RORC CARIBBEAN 600: MEDIA INFORMATION, FACTS & STATS

Wednesday 29th January 2025
Prior to this, the stand-alone RORC Nelson's Cup Series will see several competitors 'warming-up' ah...
Read More

RORC TRANSATLANTIC RACE

Tuesday 21st January 2025
On Day 10 of the RORC Transatlantic Race, 15 teams continue their race to the finish line in Grenada...
Read More

HOW TO FOLLOW THE RORC TRANSATLANTIC RACE 2025

Thursday 9th January 2025
Race fans can keep up-to-date with the RORC Transatlantic Race - a 3,000NM race from Calero Marinas ...
Read More

NOR FOR RORC NELSON’S CUP SERIES 2025

Tuesday 7th January 2025
The Notice of Race for the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series confirms a key change to the third edition of ...
Read More

All News Stories and Specials


photo gallery
To view more photos of Rambler 100 Winds RORC Caribbean 600 click here View Image Gallery
To view more photos of 2011 RORC Caribbean 600 click here View Image Gallery
To view more photos of RORC Caribbean 600 click here View Image Gallery

video

Video by acquafilms on Vimeo.

2011 RORC Caribbean 600 race - Day 1 highlights

Video by acquafilms on Vimeo.


whats on

RORC NELSON'S CUP SERIES

Tuesday 18th February 2025. Read More

RORC NELSON'S CUP SERIES

Wednesday 19th February 2025. Read More

RORC NELSON'S CUP SERIES

Thursday 20th February 2025. Read More

RORC NELSON'S CUP SERIES

Friday 21st February 2025. Read More

RORC CARIBBEAN 600

Monday 24th February 2025. Read More

All Whats On Listings